Blue Devils Battle Blue Jays in National Quarterfinals

DURHAM – For the first time since 2006, the Duke men’s soccer team hosts a national quarterfinal on Saturday afternoon, welcoming Creighton to Koskinen Stadium at 1 p.m., with streaming available on ESPN+. The seventh-seeded Blue Devils look to advance to the College Cup for the first time since 2004. 

Guests traveling to the Duke University West Campus on Saturday, December 3rd should be aware of the parking alerts for multiple athletic events. General public parking for the NCAA National Quarterfinal is available in the Jogging Trail Lot on NC 751/Cameron Blvd., and Circuit Lots on Circuit Drive. All general public parking will be open beginning at 11:00 a.m. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday’s match is the fourth overall meeting between Duke and Creighton, with Duke currently trailing, 1-2, in the series.
• Saturday marks John Kerr‘s first matchup against Creighton during his time at Duke. Kerr has previously coached against Creighton once, in 1999 while at Harvard.
• The Blue Devils and Blue Jays have met once in the NCAA Tournament, also their most recent matchup — a 2-1 victory for Creighton in November of 2005.
• The two regular season meetings between Duke and Creighton came in a home-and-home series in 1994 and 1995, with both road teams securing the win by a 3-1 score.

THE SCOUTING REPORT

• Creighton, an unseeded team, has played three matches in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
• The Blue Jays defeated Missouri State 2-1 in the first round, second-seeded Washington 3-1 in the second round and 15th-seeded Tulsa 2-1 in the third round.
• Creighton secured its spot in the national quarterfinals with a late penalty kick against Tulsa, converting from the spot in the 88th minute.
• FIU’s offense is ranked 2nd in the country for goals per game (2.73)
• FIU’s defense is 98th in the country for goals allowed per game (1.32)

LAST TIME OUT

• Duke picked up a win in its third-round matchup against 10th-seeded FIU last Sunday, 1-0.
• The Blue Devils’ lone goal came courtesy of Scotty Taylor, who converted off a Miguel Ramirez corner kick. Taylor’s goal, a heel flick into the far corner, was his fourth of the season.

BY THE NUMBERS

Entering the NCAA Tournament, Eliot Hamill ranks first or tied for first in the country for goals against average (.444) and shutouts (12)

2006 – The last time Duke…